


Sheets-N-Things

by CloakBlade



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, Faberry, Finn and Rachel Friendship, Kurtcedes - Freeform, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Puck and Finn Friendship, Puck and Sam friendship, Slow Burn, Workplace comedy story, finn and Kurt friendship, samcedes - Freeform, watch all the dumb things they do at work, watch the drama unfold
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-04-06 18:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19067908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakBlade/pseuds/CloakBlade
Summary: The customers can’t see the shenanigans, romance, and drama that happen among the employees at Sheets-N-Things. Faberry. Klaine. Samcedes. AULatest Chapter: John Paul manages to convince Terri to start a suggestion box program. Quinn and Rachel continue to bond. Sam gets advice from Puck on how to woo Mercedes and Blaine has his interview.





	1. Welcome to Sheets-N-Things

Author's Note: After re-watching Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Superstore, I thought it would be a fun idea to write a story about the Glee kids working at Sheets-N-Things. This takes place in an AU. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the workplace comedies this story is based on.

**Welcome to Sheets-N-Things**

"Hey, did you guys hear? Mrs. Schuester hired two more people for the seasonal positions. I heard the the chick is a total babe," Noah "Puck" Puckerman announced as he entered the employee break room at Sheets-N-Things.

Puck and the rest of the Glee kids got seasonal jobs at Sheets-N-Things. The only ones who weren't working at Sheets-N-Things over the summer were Mike, Tina, and Artie. Mike and Tina got jobs as camp counselors for a performing arts camp, while Artie preferred to play Halo over the summer.

"From 1-10, how hot is she?" Finn eagerly asked.

"I heard she's a solid ten! I just can't wait until I can pounce on her."

"Puck, you are so disgusting!" Mercedes insulted who was reading a magazine across the room, "I can't believe I even dated you."

"Well, if you ever want to ride the Puckasaurus again, I'll be happy to take you back," Puck smirked.

Mercedes scoffed, "take me back? In case you have forgotten, I dumped your ass!"

"She's right," Kurt joined in.

"Shut up, Kurt!" Puck shouted.

"Was with all the yelling?" Rachel asked as she walked into the break room.

"Mrs. Schuester hired two people, and according to Puck, the girl is hot," Finn filled in the brunette, "so he wants to bang her."

Rachel rolled her eyes,"Noah, don't be so vulgar."

"Whatever, you guys are all a bunch of hypocrites!" Puck exasperated. Everyone's eyes widen in shock that Puck actually used hypocrite correctly. "Yeah, I know what that word means. You guys scold me when I admit that I want to bang a chick because she's hot. In reality, you all want your future boyfriend or girlfriend to be hot! "

Kurt pondered over what Puck said, and he was kind of right. He would want his future boyfriend to be good looking, like that boy from Dalton Academy who came to the store last week.

"Yeah, we want our potential partners to be attractive, but that's not the only thing that matters," Mercedes pointed out.

"Yeah, Mercedes is right. Physical features aren't that important to me," Finn agreed, " I mean, I dated Rachel."

"Ouch!" Kurt commented while Rachel glared at her ex-boyfriend.

"That came out wrong. I meant like I didn't date you because of your looks. I actually liked your personality, well not your entire personality because I didn't like how controlling you were when we were dating," Finn stammered.

"Finn, do yourself a favor and just stop talking," Kurt urged the quarterback, "you're making it worse."

Finn looked over to his ex-girlfriend and found a familiar pair of brown eyes scowling at him with a passion. He quickly turned his head to avoid Rachel's piercing gaze. If they were still dating, he would have been in so much trouble.

"Anyways like I was saying before all your losers interrupted me, I have dibs on the chick, so all the dudes here better back off," Puck warned.

"Back off of what?" Howard Bamboo asked as he walked into the break room.

"Nothing that concerns you, Howard!" Puck snapped.

Before the conversation could continue, Terri Schuester, the manager, strutted into the break room, holding a clipboard with this morning's announcements and assignments.

"Good morning everyone!" Terri greeted her staff.

"Good morning!" Rachel exclaimed while the rest of the employees responded in a lethargic manner.

"Don't you all sound excited to work this morning," Terri sarcastically said.

"Sorry Mrs. Schuester, but we're just starting to get used to waking up early during the summer," Finn explained.

"Well, I need all of you to be more energetic! I can't have a bunch of zombies working in my store. I only hired you guys because it was cheaper to hire a bunch of seasonal employees," she muttered the last part.

"I'll be happy to share my smoothie recipe. It's filled with vitamins and nutrients that makes you energetic," Rachel offered.

"Even here she still manages to be the teacher's pet," Kurt whispered to Mercedes.

"I think you mean the manager's pet," Mercedes responded.

"That smoothie sounds good, but I can't use the blender at my apartment because I have trouble reading the different settings," Howard mumbled.

"Howard, this isn't the time to talk about your blender," Terri scolded.

"Sorry," Howard frowned.

"Before I was interrupted," Terri shot a dirty look at Howard, "here are today's announcements. We will receive our shipment of the new Summer Breeze candles today. It's part of Sheets-N-Things' season promotion line, so corporate want us to really push people to buy them. In other news, I hired two additional people for the summer. Their paperwork has already processed, so they're going to start their training tomorrow."

"I'll be happy to train them, Mrs. Schuester," Puck smirked, "preferably the chick."

"You?" Mercedes scoffed. "You can't even fold bed sheets!"

"Hey! I'm not only one," Puck countered, "Finn can't do it either!"

"Dude, don't drag me into this."

"Mercedes makes an excellent point. I need my competent staff to train the new employees, and Puck, you are not qualified," Terri chastised.

"Why can't I train them?" Howard asked. "I've been working here the longest."

"Howard, I said _competent_ staff are going to train the new employees."

"Oh," Howard lamented. Sure, he couldn't fold bed sheets as well as the other staff, but he tried his best. Except for that time when he accidentally reduced the price of all towels by 25%, he hasn't botched anything in awhile.

"Now that we got that out of that," Terri continued with her announcements, "here are today's assignments. Mercedes and Kurt, you two will be cashiers. Finn and Rachel, you two will work the floor. Noah, you are in charge unloading and stocking the Summer Breeze candles. And Howard, you will be in Guest Services today." Terri looked around the break room and placed her hands on her hips, "well, get up and start working!"

* * *

"I can help you here, ma'am," Mercedes called a customer over. The customer walked to Mercedes and started to unload her items from the basket and onto the counter. "Did you find everything you were looking for?" She started to scan the customer's items.

"Yes, I did."

"That's great! Do you need a bag?"

"Yes, please."

Mercedes grabbed a plastic bag and placed the items inside the bag. "Your total $25.56." The customer handed Mercedes $30. She processed the transaction and grabbed the change from the register. "$4.44 is your change. Thank you and please come again!"

"So what do you think the new employees will be like?" Kurt asked Mercedes from the next register over.

"I don't know. I hope they're cool."

"I hope one of them is cute and gay," Kurt stated.

Mercedes chuckled, "I didn't know you were looking for a little summer fling."

"I'm not looking for a fling. I want a boyfriend," Kurt frowned, "I'm tired of being single."

"I hear you. The last guy I dated was Puck. I didn't know what I was thinking!"

"You were desperate," Kurt teased.

Mercedes glared at her close friend and then burst into giggles, "you're right, but it still hurts when you said it out loud."

* * *

"These towels are a little bit more expensive, but it's worth it because they're so much softer than the cheaper towels. Feel them," Finn prompted the customer he was assisting.

The customer felt the towel. "You're right. Are these 100% cotton?"

"Let me check the tag," Finn said, "yes, it's 100% cotton."

"Do you know if these towels shrink in the dryer?"

"Um, we use these towels all the time at home. My mom does the laundry, and from what I've seen, the towels are still the same size."

"Hmm," the customer said as she inspected the towel she holding. "I guess I'll take it."

"Awesome!"

"Thank you for all your help," the customer said as she walked away.

"Happy to help!"

Finn was about to re-fold the towels, but he spotted Rachel walking towards the soap aisle. He still felt terrible about what happened in the break room this morning. He wasn't trying to insult her. He was actually trying to compliment her, but he used the wrong words.

"Hey, Rachel," he called out to her.

Rachel turned her head to Finn's direction. "Yes?"

The quarterback made his way towards his ex-girlfriend. "I feel bad about what I said this morning."

"Finn, it's okay. I kind of overacted to it. I know you meant well," Rachel assured him.

"Just know that I do think you're pretty, Rachel, but that's not the only thing I liked about you. You're talented, smart, and forgiving," Finn grinned."Even though we're not a couple anymore, you're still one of my friends and you're important to me."

She smiled warmly at him, "thank you, Finn. You're important to me too. I'm glad that we can still be friends."

Even though their relationship was short lived, she had no regrets. They met in the auditorium while the Glee club was performing "You're the One That I Want." When she heard the quarterback sing for the first time, Rachel was immediately smitten.

Rachel was vocal with her feelings. She made it clear that she wanted to be with him, but Finn was resistant. He was one of the most popular boys in school, and he was already dating the head cheerleader. If he left his girlfriend for Rachel, his popularity would have diminished. As time passed, his feelings for Rachel grew. He broke up with his girlfriend and confessed his feelings for the brunette, and they became a couple. It was the perfect ending to a high school romance, but it didn't last.

While they were dating, Finn and Rachel spent most of the time arguing about what they wanted to do with each other. Rachel wanted to watch her favorite musicals and community theater plays with Finn, but he would rather watch sports or play video games. It's not like they didn't try to take an interest in each other's hobbies. Finn tried watching _Funny Girl_ with Rachel, but he just couldn't get engrossed in it. Rachel attempted to learn how to play Call of Duty, but she got confused and kept getting killed in the game. In the end, the two decided to end their relationship and just be friends.

"Excuse me, can one of you tell me the difference between these two hand soaps? One of them says foam and the other one says liquid. Which is better for your hands?" A customer asked while holding the two different bottles.

"I can help you with that," Rachel said to the customer. "I'll see you later, Finn."

"See you."

Rachel approached the customer and began answering his questions about the benefits of each type of hand soap.

"Finn!" a voice called.

He turned his head and saw his manager, standing with her hands on her hips. "Yes, Mrs. Schuester?"

"Those towels aren't going to fold themselves!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Schuester. I'll start folding them."

* * *

Puck was in a pickle. Not an actual pickle because pickles are super gross. The new employees were supposed to start their training tomorrow morning. He wanted to be the first one to welcome the new girl. He wanted to make his move before someone else did, but his shift wasn't going to start until the afternoon. He needed to switch shifts with someone. He couldn't switch shifts with Rachel since she was adamant in getting the morning shifts. He couldn't ask Mercedes since she was still probably annoyed with him, but there was one person he could easily convince.

"Hey, Howard," Puck said as he approached the Guest Services counter.

Howard scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, "why are you talking to me?"

"I can't say hey to my favorite coworker?"

"Favorite? But you yelled at me at the break room this morning," Howard pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Puck apologized. "I took my anger out on you because everyone was giving me a hard time."

"Oh, thanks for apologizing."

"Don't mention it," Puck began. "I actually need your help."

Howard's eyes widen from shock. Someone actually needs his help. "You do?"

Puck motioned Howard to lean in closer. "So, you know how we're getting two new coworkers tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Mrs. Schuester said that they'll start their training tomorrow morning. I want to be there to welcome in the morning, especially the chick. The thing is, I'm not scheduled to work until the afternoon. That's where you come in."

Howard pointed to himself, "me?"

"Yes, you!" Puck exclaimed. "You're scheduled to work in the morning, right?"

"Yeah."

"I need you to switch shifts with me."

"I guess."

"Perfect! You're the best wingman!"

"I'm your wingman?" Howard excitedly asked.

"Of course!"

"Wow, thanks Puck! I won't let you down!"

"All right, I have to go back to work now. I'll see you later, wingman!" Puck turned around and made his way back to the candles aisle.

"See you!"

"That was too easy," Puck smirked.

* * *

"It's too early for this," Kurt complained as he leaned on Mercedes's shoulder.

"I know, but at least our shift ends in the afternoon. We have time to kickback," Mercedes reminded him.

"Good point."

"Good morning, Kurt and Mercedes," Finn happily greeted his two friends as he walked inside the break room. "Morning, Rachel."

"Morning, Finn," Kurt and Mercedes echoed.

"Good morning, Finn," Rachel said.

"So, who do you think will train the new employees?" Finn asked.

"I hope Mrs. Schuester chooses me. This will give me the opportunity to show her my extraordinary leadership skills," Rachel bragged.

"Manager's pet," Kurt sneezed while Mercedes laughed. Rachel turned her head and scowled at him. "What? I just sneezed."

"Sup, losers!" Puck exclaimed as he sat next to Finn.

"Wait, you aren't scheduled to work in the morning. What are you doing here?" Finn wondered.

"I traded shifts with Howard," Puck explained. "The chick starts today and I need to make my move."

Rachel shook her head in disapproval, "you are so unbelievable."

"Don't hate the player, hate the game, Berry," Puck smugly responded.

Before Rachel could respond, Terri entered the break room with the new employees.

"Good morning, everyone!" The manager exclaimed.

Rachel's eyes widen in shock when she saw the girl who was standing beside Terri. No, that couldn't be her. Why would she be working here of all places? She turned her head over to Finn's direction, and he had the same shocked expression.

"I'd like everyone to welcome Sam Evans and Quinn Fabray. They'll be working here over the summer."

* * *

Author's Note: So what did you all think? Does anyone want to work at Sheets-N-Things? As you all guessed, Howard is the Jerry of Sheets-N-Things. Like I said in the author's note in the beginning of the chapter, this takes place in an AU. In this universe, Quinn didn't join glee in her sophomore year and she didn't get pregnant. Please leave a review/comment and tell me what you think! Till next time!


	2. The New Hires

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter! For those of you who haven't seen Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99, and Superstore, I recommend that you watch those shows. They're super funny! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the workplace comedy series this story is based on.

**The New Hires**

Rachel still couldn't believe her eyes. That couldn't be Quinn Fabray. Why would the head cheerleader be working at Sheets-N-Things over the summer? Wasn't her family well-off? She didn't really know much about Quinn, but from what Finn told her about his ex-girlfriend, the Fabrays had money.

"If you two want to say a little something about yourselves, you guys can," Terri told Quinn and Sam.

"I guess I'll go first. Hi, I'm Sam and I do not like green eggs and ham," Sam joked.

Sam looked around the room and saw that everyone looked at him with confused looks. He thought his introduction would have earned him a couple of laughs. Guess people aren't into Dr. Seuss anymore. He cleared his throat before continuing. "My family and I moved to Lima a couple of weeks ago. I decided to work here over the summer so I could meet people."

Kurt leaned into Mercedes and whispered, "I think he's Team Gay."

"Huh? How could you tell?"

"Look at his hair," Kurt instructed.

Mercedes looked at Sam's hair, but she didn't find anything odd about it. "He's a blond. What's weird about that?"

"He's not a natural blond. He dyes his hair. Straight guys don't do that."

"How can you tell that he dyed his hair?" Mercedes asked.

"It's my sixth sense."

"Sam, I didn't ask for your whole life story. I said to say a little something about yourself," Terri reminded him with a slight harsh tone.

"I'm sorry. I tend to talk a lot when I'm nervous," Sam apologized.

"Quinn, do you want to say something?" Terri asked.

"For those of you who don't know me, I'm Quinn," Quinn introduced herself. "I'm going to be a junior at William McKinley High, and I'm looking forward to working here over the summer."

"Succinct and straight to the point," Terri complimented the blonde teenage girl. "Quinn and Sam you two can join the rest of your coworkers while I make today's announcements and assignments."

The two teenagers nodded their head and sat down.

"As you know, Nancy quit as the assistant manager," Terri began. "Since I haven't found a replacement, corporate is transferring someone from another branch to be the assistant manager here."

"I hope the new assistant manager is cool. Nancy was nice, but she was kind of a prude," Puck commented.

"Puck, shut up!" Mercedes interjected. "We do not want to watch those training videos again," Mercedes interjected.

"Hey, I'm just speaking my mind. I have the right," Puck defended himself. "That's the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Freedom of Speech."

Everyone in the break room looked at Puck in shock. Did he actually say something intelligent?

"Why do you all look surprised? I pay attention in class. Well, sometimes I do," Puck admitted. "I was only paying attention that day because we had a hot substitute."

"Okay!" Terri interrupted. "Let's just move on." She looked towards Mercedes, "I want you, Mercedes, to train Sam in how to use the register today."

"Got it, Mrs. Schuester," Mercedes said.

"Lucky," Kurt whispered. "I wanted to train him. I wanted to confirm my suspicions."

"Just talk to him during your break," Mercedes replied.

"And Quinn will be trained by…"

 _Please don't be me,_ Rachel hoped. At the beginning, she did want to be chosen to train the new employees, but that was before she found out that Quinn Fabray was the new employee. She was certain that Quinn would make her life a living hell. She did steal the girl's boyfriend after all.

"Rachel," Terri finished her sentence.

_Fuck my life._

* * *

Finn was relieved that Mrs. Schuester didn't choose him to train Quinn.

Wait.

Did that mean he wasn't competent? Yesterday, she said that only her competent staff would train the new employees. Sure, he wasn't the brightest in the bunch but at least he didn't accidentally reduce the price of all towels like Howard did.

"Rachel, I want you to train Quinn on how to scan and shelf items."

"Me?" Rachel said in an unsure tone.

The quarterback turned his head and looked at the brunette. Just minutes ago, she was adamant in being chosen to train the new employees. Now, she sounded like she wanted nothing to do with it.

"Yes, _you_ ," Terri repeated.

"I-I don't know, Mrs. Schuester. A-am I the best person to train Quinn?" Rachel stammered. "I just started working here a couple weeks ago."

Terri let out an exasperated sigh. These glee kids were so fucking frustrating. She didn't know how her soon to be ex-husband could spend so much time with them without losing his mind.

"Rachel, I'm not asking you to perform open heart surgery. I just need you to teach Quinn how to use the scanner," Terri chastised. "Got it?"

"Yes, Mrs. Schuester," Rachel quietly said.

* * *

"I'm going to teach you how to work the register. It's actually pretty simple," Mercedes advised her new co-worker.

"Really? It looks complicated," Sam said.

"The customers are more complicated than this register," Mercedes laughed, "especially when you have to deal with middle aged women who think the customer is always right."

"I bet."

"The first step is to log in the register. There are multiple ways to do this, but the easiest way is to just swipe your employee card," Mercedes demonstrated. "Press 'enter' and then you're logged in."

"That was easy."

"After that you just scan the items and put the items inside the bag," Mercedes continued. "When you're done scanning the items, the customer will be paying in cash or credit/debit."

"Question," Sam interjected. "The register does all the calculations, right? Because my math isn't the best."

"Yes, it does all the calculations for you, so you don't need to worry," Mercedes smiled.

"Cool."

"When the customer is paying in cash, press 'cash' on the keyboard," Mercedes pointed out. "Then you want to enter the exact amount. Hit enter and then just give the exact change displayed on the screen. Do you follow everything so far?"

"Yeah."

"If a customer is paying by card, press the 'EFT' option on the keyboard. The register will do the rest. After every transaction, remember to give the customer his or her receipt," Mercedes reminded Sam.

"Sounds simple but I'm still kind of nervous."

"Don't be nervous. I'm going to be right beside you during your first shift in case you run into trouble. Everything will be alright."

"Alright, alright, alright," Sam responded in a Texan accent.

Mercedes narrowed her eyes in confusion, "what?"

"Come on, it's my Matthew McConaughey impression," Sam explained. "Come on."

"Oh," Mercedes awkwardly smiled, "I'm not really a fan of Matthew McConaughey."

"That's cool. I'm not a fan too. I just like doing impressions."

"Do you often do that?"

"Do what?"

"Your impressions."

"Honestly, I started doing them when I moved here," Sam sheepishly admitted.

"Why?" Mercedes wondered.

"I don't know anybody in this town. I thought people would think my impressions are funny that they would want to be my friend," Sam clarified.

"Sam, I just met you today, and I don't know you very well, but I could tell that you're a nice guy," Mercedes assured him, "I'm sure you'll make friends in no time."

"Thank you, Mercedes or should I say," Sam grinned, "irayo."

"What?"

"Irayo means thank you in Na'vi," Sam replied, "it's from Avatar. The movie written and directed by James Cameron." Mercedes looked at him with confusion. "The one with the blue people. Sam Worthington is in it."

Mercedes gave him a half smile, "sorry. I still have no idea what you're talking about."

* * *

Rachel decided to work at Sheets-N-Things over the summer to earn her own money. She asked her dads if she can have a raise in her allowance, but they refused. They said that she needed to learn the value of a dollar, and she could only learn that by working.

She didn't mind working at Sheets-N-Things. It was kind of fun working with her fellow glee club members. She even felt closer to them since they would bond over the difficult customers they dealt with during their respective shifts. Those fun days were over since she has to work with Quinn now.

Was the universe trying to punish her for stealing Finn away from Quinn? She couldn't help that she fell for him. Compared to the other guys in glee club, he was her ideal leading man. He was handsome, tall, and with enough practice, he could carry a tune.

How was she supposed to train and work with Quinn? Not only the blonde was Finn's ex-girlfriend but she was also her tormentor. She couldn't count the endless insults she threw at the brunette.

Wait.

This is a different situation though. Quinn may rule the hallways of McKinley, but she had no power in Sheets-N-Things. In fact, the roles have reversed. She was in control here, so she could boss the blonde around and get revenge for all the times Quinn threw slushies at her, but Rachel wasn't a vengeful person. She couldn't see herself do those things.

"You feel weird about this," Quinn interrupted the brunette's thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Training me."

"Yeah," Rachel quietly admitted. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Quinn adamantly stated. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you."

Rachel looked at the blonde with a perplexed expression. "To me?"

"Yes. I did a lot of terrible things to you," Quinn confessed. "I called you names, threw slushies at you, and drew pornographic pictures of you in the bathroom stalls."

"That was you?"

Quinn nodded her head. "I'm sorry for everything, Rachel."

Rachel was taken back. Was this actually happening? Was head cheerleader Quinn Fabray apologizing to her?

"You don't have to forgive me if you don't want to. I was horrible to you."

The brunette shook her head. "No, it's not that." Rachel bit her bottom lip. "It's just," she paused, "why are you apologizing to me all of a sudden?"

Quinn released a deep breath, "I guess it's because I'm ready to start growing up." She turned to Rachel, "and that begins with me taking responsibility for all my wrongdoings."

Rachel sincerely smiled at Quinn, "I forgive you. And since we're talking about apologizes, I want to say that I'm sorry too."

Quinn narrowed her eyes, "for what?"

"For stealing Finn away from you."

The blonde chuckled, "it's okay. You don't have to apologize. I'm over it. Besides, you two are a better couple."

"Were," Rachel corrected.

"What?"

"Finn and I broke up a couple of weeks ago," Rachel revealed.

"Oh."

"We just didn't work out. We were too different."

"You don't sound too sad about it," Quinn commented.

"Surprisingly not. I guess it's because it was a mutual breakup. Anyways, I should teach you how to use this scanner before Mrs. Schuester yells at us." The blonde laughed. "I wasn't joking. She yells at us on a daily basis."

"If that's the case, you should really teach me how to use the scanner."

* * *

"Do you mind if I join you?" Kurt asked Sam who was sitting by himself at one of the tables in the break room.

"Sure."

"Thank you and I'm Kurt by the way."

"I'm Sam. Nice to meet you."

Kurt sat across Sam and took a sip from his water bottle. He usually spends his break getting frozen yogurt next door, but today he had an ulterior motive. He needed to confirm his suspicions about Sam's sexuality. "So how do you like working here so far?"

"It's okay. I was kind of overwhelmed at the register, but Mercedes was there to help. I'm relieved that I'm on my break now."

"It'll get easier with time. You'll get used to how we do things around here," Kurt said. "By the way, I like your hair."

"Thank you." Sam took a sip of water.

"It suits you even though blond isn't your natural hair color."

Sam choked on his water, "what?"

"You dyed your hair," Kurt stated.

"I didn't dye my hair," Sam refuted Kurt's claims.

The young fashionista drew his brows together, "please, I could tell that you're not a natural blond. I've read so many beauty and fashion magazines. Plus, I have a sixth sense when it comes to these things."

Sam released a defeated sigh, "okay, fine I did dye my hair."

_Check!_

"Just don't tell anyone," Sam pleaded. "I don't want to get teased."

Kurt smiled, "your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks. I only dyed my hair to look cool."

"And you thought dyeing your hair blond would make you look cool?" Kurt asked.

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, I thought it would make me look like a surfer. I thought it would impress the girls around here."

"Girls?"

"Yeah, I went to an all boys boarding school, so I didn't have a chance to date girls."

_Damn, why are the cute ones straight?_

* * *

One of the reasons why Puck decided to work at Sheets-N-Things was because it was the perfect place to hit on women, particularly cougars. While he appreciated women in all shapes and sizes, there was something about cougars that really turned him on. Maybe it was how their tanned skin implied that they had sex at exotic places or maybe it was how desperate they were for attention? Whatever it was, he was thankful for them.

There was nothing better than a cougar. Well, there was something or someone better than cougars, and that someone was Quinn Fabray.

He was supposed to be re-stacking the fans, but he couldn't stop staring at the head cheerleader. She wasn't wearing anything special, just jeans and the Sheets-N-Things uniform. Damn, she looked so hot right now. Correction. She always looked hot.

Puck always had a thing for the blonde, but Finn asked her out first. Since Finn was his best friend, he didn't pursue her further. When the quarterback dumped Quinn for Rachel, Puck was too busy trying to get into Lauren Zizes's pants to hit on Quinn. Now that Quinn worked at Sheets-N-Things, this was finally his chance to make a move.

Before he did that, he needed to talk to Finn to get his permission to pursue the head cheerleader. After all, Finn was his best friend. There was a certain bro code he has to follow.

"Hey, dude," Puck greeted as he walked over to Finn who was folding towels. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Finn responded.

"If you were any other dude, I wouldn't even be asking you this. Since you're my boy, I respect you," Puck sincerely said.

Finn looked at Puck with confusion, "okay. What did you want to ask me?"

"Will it be cool if I ask Quinn out?"

"You like Quinn?"

"Like is a strong word," Puck countered, "I think she's hot."

"Dude, Quinn and I have been over for months. You don't need my blessing to date her."

"Woah," Puck cautioned, "I didn't say I wanted to date her. I just want to get into her pants."

"Good luck. She doesn't put out."

Puck puffed up his collar and smirked, "that's because she hasn't seen the Puckerman charm."

* * *

 _I'm going to be single forever,_ Kurt complained to himself as he was re-stocking the Summer Breeze candles. He thought he finally had a chance in romance, but Sam had to be straight. Why can't the gay gods send him a cute, gay boy? Was that too much to ask?

"Excuse me?" a voice interjected.

Kurt turned around and his breath caught in his throat when he saw who called for him.

"I was wondering if you guys still carry the Spring Meadows candle?"

It was the cute boy from Dalton. Have the gay gods answered his prayers?

"Sadly we don't sell those candles anymore. They were just part of the spring promotion line," Kurt informed him.

"That's too bad," the boy expressed, "my mom asked me to buy those candles today."

"I think your mom would like our new candles!" Kurt exclaimed. He grabbed a candle from the shelf and handed one to the teenage boy. "It's our new Summer Breeze candles. It's part of our summer promotion line."

The teenage boy sniffed the candle and was pleased at the scent. "Wow, it smells wonderful."

"Told you," Kurt grinned. He looked at the boy and noticed that he was still wearing his school's uniform. "So, is Dalton Academy still in session?" he asked.

"No, the school term ended last week," the boy explained. "I'm wearing Dalton's uniform because I have a performance with the Warblers later. We're performing at a senior citizen home."

"The Warblers?"

"The Warblers are Dalton Academy's glee club."

Glee club.

He was in glee club. This was meant to be.

"You know, I'm also in my school's glee club," Kurt bragged.

"That's awesome! What school do you go to?"

"McKinley High."

"The New Directions, right?"

"Yup."

"I saw your sectionals performance. Your teammate's 'Don't Rain On My Parade' rendition was impeccable!" the boy gushed.

Kurt slightly frowned when the boy mentioned Rachel's performance. _Fuck, don't tell me he's straight too?_

"Yeah, her performance was impressive," Kurt nonchalantly said.

Ding!

"Excuse me, that's my phone," the boy said as he retrieved his phone from his pocket. He read the text message and put his phone away. "That was one of my teammates. We're holding a last minute practice before we perform."

Kurt smiled, "I guess you should get going then. You don't want to be late."

"Thank you for helping me," the boy paused for a moment, "Kurt."

A faint blush appeared on Kurt's cheeks when the boy mentioned his name. "You know my name?"

"Yeah, isn't that what your name tag says?" the boy pointed out.

Kurt awkwardly laughed. "Oh, yes, of course. Kurt. That's me." He saluted, "Kurt Hummel at your service."

_I'm such an idiot._

The boy let out a laugh, "Kurt Hummel, it's nice to meet you. I'm Blaine Anderson." He held out his hand as an invitation for Kurt to shake it.

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you too, Blaine Anderson."

Blaine let go of his grip on Kurt's hand. "I'm going to pay for this candle now. Thank you again for helping me."

"You're welcome!"

* * *

 _It's time to make my move_ , Puck thought to himself as he walked over to Quinn, who was busy scanning the numerous bottles of hand soaps and stacking them on the shelves.

"Hey Quinn," Puck smirked.

"Hey Puck," the blonde casually replied while she continued to scan the bottle of hand soaps.

"So, what's a beautiful girl like you working at a place like this?" Puck flirtatiously asked.

Quinn shook her head in amusement at Puck's attempt to flirt with her. "I didn't want to keep asking my parents for money, so I decided to work over the summer. I wanted a little independence."

"Awesome, I dig independent girls," Puck complimented the blonde.

She rolled her eyes. "Puck, I have to get back to work. You should too."

"Okay, how about we continue this after our shifts? You and me at Breadstix."

"No," the head cheerleader stated.

Puck's mouth slightly gaped. "No?"

"No," Quinn repeated. "I'm not interested."

He couldn't believe this! She was rejecting him, and there was nothing he can do to convince her to go out with him. He didn't really know Quinn that well. They didn't talk when she used to date Finn, but he did know one thing though. When Quinn Fabray sets her mind on something, it was impossible to change her mind.

"Okay, I get it," Puck sighed. "Unlike most dudes, I understand what no means. If you do change your mind, you know who to call."

"Just go back to work, Puck."

* * *

"That was a long day," Mercedes complained. "I'm glad our shift is over."

"I hear you, but I actually had a good day today," Kurt smiled as he and Mercedes were walking towards the main entrance of the store.

"Why? Did you confirm your suspicions that Sam plays for your team?" Mercedes teased.

"Sadly, Sam is straight, but I talked to the cute boy from Dalton today," Kurt beamed. "And he held my hand!"

Mercedes raised one of her eyebrows, "held your hand?"

"Okay, we just shook hands," Kurt admitted, "but technically, we did hold hands."

Mercedes chuckled, "whatever you say, Kurt."

As the two friends exited the building, Howard Bamboo entered Sheets-N-Things to start his shift.

"Howard, there you are!" Terri yelled as she approached him with a mop in her hands. "I need you to clean up the vomit on aisle four." She handed him the mop.

"But I just got here," Howard lamented. Why couldn't his other co-workers do it? Why did he always have to be in charge of cleaning up the spills and vomits?

"Yes, and now I'm putting you to work," Terri ordered, "go clean up the vomit."

"Okay," Howard mumbled.

* * *

Author's Note: Poor Howard. His shift just started and he has to clean up vomit. It sucks being the Jerry haha Anyways, how did you all like this chapter? Did you all like the first Faberry, Samcedes, and Klaine interactions? Will Terri ever like the glee kids? Please let me know what you all think! I love reading your comments/reviews! Till next time! :D


	3. Names, Lights, and Crushes

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't owe Glee or the workplace comedies this story is based on.

**Chapter 3: Names, Lights, and Crushes**

"Okay, here are today's important announcements," Terri Schuester told her staff. "First, the new assistant manager will start tomorrow. His name is John Paul Alexander Santos Garcia. He's from the Columbus branch."

"John Paul Alexander Santos Garcia?" Finn repeated. "That's a long name."

"I would hate my parents if they gave me a name that long," Mercedes commented. "Can you imagine how long it will take to fill out applications?"

"Would that name even fit?" Sam wondered. "They give you such a tiny box to write your name down."

"You just have to write small," Finn replied. "That's what I did when I filled out my application here."

"Finn, your name isn't even long," Kurt pointed out. "Your first name is literally four letters."

"My middle name is Christopher," Finn defended himself, "Finn Christopher Hudson. That's a lot letters."

"I wouldn't oppose having a long name," Rachel remarked. "It just has to be meaningful. If my dads named me Rachel Barbra Patti Berry, I would be happy with that."

"It doesn't matter if your name is long or not," Puck retorted. "What matters is if your name sounds badass! That's why I go by Puck instead of Noah."

"My full name is Howard Bamboo," Howard said, "it's not a long name, but I still have trouble spelling it because of my dyslexia."

Terri had enough. All she wanted to do was just get through the announcements, but her inept staff couldn't even let her do that.

"Quiet!" Terri yelled. Her staff flinched at the sound of her voice. "You kids make everything so difficult. These announcements shouldn't take that much time, but with you all constantly interrupting me, it's taking forever." She turned her attention to Howard. "Howard, you've been working here the longest. I _expected_ more from you," Terri chastised.

Howard's mouth gaped. Why was Terri calling him out? He didn't even start this whole name thing. It was Finn. "But I wasn't even the one-"

"We're really sorry, Mrs. Schuester," Finn interjected.

Howard crossed his arms and sighed. _I feel like no one ever listens to me._

"We didn't mean to make things difficult for you," Rachel further added.

"Thank you." Terri cleared her throat. "Okay, here are today's assignments. Puck and Sam, we just got our shipment for more standing fans. You two are in charge of scanning and stacking them today. After that, you will put back the returned items on the shelves."

"Got it, Mrs. Schuester," they both replied.

"Quinn and Rachel, you two will be folding bed sheets today."

"Okay, Mrs. Schuester," they responded.

"Mercedes, Kurt, and Finn," Terri stated, "you three will be cashiers. Everybody else will work the floor. Any questions?" She was met with silence. "Okay, get to work then!"

* * *

If someone told Quinn that she was going to work at Sheets-N-Things over the summer, she would have laughed at his or her face. She didn't _need_ to work. The Fabrays were one of the affluent families in Lima, so Quinn has money to spend. However, the blonde didn't want to keep depending on her family's money. She wanted a little independence, so she decided to get a summer job.

It has been a couple of days since she started working at Sheets-N-Things, and so far, Quinn liked it. She didn't have too much difficulty doing the various tasks required by the job. According to Mrs. Schuester, she was a fast learner. She quickly learned how to scan and shelf items and how to use the register. The only thing that she found weird about working here was how some of the customers would complain about the strangest things. Like the other day, a customer complained to her about the soaps they used in the restrooms.

"So, how do you like working here so far?" Rachel asked the blonde. They were currently folding bed sheets just as Mrs. Schuester told them to do.

"It's okay, I guess. The job isn't too bad and the customers are a little weird. But…"

"But?"

"It's awkward working with everyone in glee," Quinn confessed. "I apologized to Kurt and Mercedes, but I just can't start talking to them like nothing happened. I was awful to them in school."

"Is that why you don't say anything during Mrs. Schuester's announcements?"

"Yes," Quinn sighed. "It's kind of stupid, but I feel like an outsider here."

"It's _not_ stupid, Quinn," Rachel comforted the blonde. "It's normal to feel like an outsider during the first few days of a new job."

"You know, I'm still in disbelief that you _actually_ talk to me."

Rachel was taken back. "What do you mean?"

"I was cruel to you, and yet," Quinn smiled at Rachel, "you're the _only_ one who talks to me here. Finn avoids me like the plague. Sam and I go to the same church, but we don't really talk. Puck only talks to me to see if I changed my mind."

Rachel chuckled, "just give them some time. Noah is a perfect example. He was horrible to us, but then he joined glee and we're all friends now."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For listening to me vent...and for being so nice to me even though...I don't deserve it."

Rachel smiled. "Quinn, you have to stop being so hard on yourself. You already apologized to me."

Quinn gave Rachel a lopsided grin, "okay."

"Also, you can always bribe everyone with food," Rachel suggested. "Mr. Schue brought pizza to glee one time and everyone started liking him more. He even brought a vegan pizza for me."

The blonde's face playfully grimaced, "Vegan pizza sounds gross."

"Vegan pizza is not gross. It's actually healthier than regular pizza. You should try it."

"No way," Quinn said adamantly. "But that's actually a good idea though. I could bring food for everyone. Everybody loves free food, right?"

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted their conversation. Rachel and Quinn turned their heads and was met with a customer.

"Yes, how can I help you?" Quinn asked.

"I don't need help," the customer sternly stated, "I just want to make a complaint."

Quinn raised one of her eyebrows, "a complaint?"

"Yes. The lights in your store are too dim. It's making it difficult to read the labels on these bottles of lotion," the customer said he shook the bottle of lotion he was holding to emphasize his point. "I have _sensitive_ skin. I develop rashes like that," he snapped his fingers. "I don't want to accidentally buy lotion that has too many ingredients. I already told one of the employees the last time I was here, and no changes have been made. I'm _not_ afraid to call corporate on this matter."

Rachel snickered and Quinn muffled her laugh.

"Thank you for your feedback," Quinn replied, trying her best to hold her laughter. "I'll report it to my manager."

"I hope so."

The customer walked away and Quinn and Rachel bursted out laughing.

"The lights are too dim," Rachel giggled. "First time I heard that."

"The more I work here," Quinn grinned, "the weirder the customers get."

"Oh, Quinn, you have _no_ idea."

* * *

In his sixteen years on earth, Puck has seen a lot of things. He has seen the Cleveland Indians hit a walk-off home run. He has seen Kurt Hummel win the game for the football team. He has seen Santana Lopez's boobs, but he hasn't seen a mouth as big as Sam Evans's mouth. And he couldn't stop staring at it.

And Sam noticed.

"Dude, can you stop staring at me? It's kind of freaking me out."

"Sorry," Puck apologized. "It's just that you have a really big mouth. How many tennis balls can you fit in there?"

"I don't know. I haven't had any balls in my mouth. Have you?"

Puck smirked, "nice comeback." He continued to stack the fans. "So, do you have your eye on any chicks here?"

"I don't know."

"Dude, come on," Puck insisted, "you could tell me. I won't tell anyone. It's the bro code."

"The bro code? Are we bros?"

Puck shrugged his shoulders. "Sure."

"Okay." Sam's lips curved into a smile. "Well, Mercedes is cool."

"You have a crush on Mercedes?"

"A little," Sam shyly admitted.

Mercedes was the first person to welcome him at Sheets-N-Things. She always answered all of his questions, and unlike the rest of his co-workers, she actually liked his impressions from time to time. Plus, she was pretty.

"You know, I used to date Mercedes. If you need any tips on how to woo her, I'm your bro," Puck offered.

"No, it's okay," Sam declined. "It's just a tiny crush. Besides, isn't it against the rules to date co-workers or something?"

Puck's eyes widen. "It is?" He tilted his head. "Huh, maybe that's why Quinn said no to me."

"You like Quinn?"

"Yeah, she's hot."

"Excuse me," a familiar sharp voice interjected. Sam and Puck turned their heads and saw their boss, standing with her hands on her hips. "I am not paying you two to talk," Terri scolded them, "so can you two stack these fans a little faster?"

"Sure thing, Mrs. Schuester," Sam said.

"Thank you." Terri walked away to look for any other employees who weren't pulling their weight.

"Is she always like that?" Sam asked Puck.

"Yeah, but she's hot, so I'm okay with it."

* * *

"Thank you for shopping at Sheets-N-Things. We hope to see you again," Finn said to a customer. He turned his head towards Kurt and Mercedes, "So what do you think the new assistant manager will be like?"

"I hope he's not as strict as Mrs. Schuester," Mercedes stated.

"Agreed," Kurt added. "We could use a little fun here. What about you, Finn?"

"Same thing. I hope he can convince Mrs. Schuester to play music, you know, with actual words," Finn answered Kurt.

"For real," Mercedes complained. "I'm getting sick of listening to all these 'peaceful' and 'relaxing' background music."

Kurt was about to respond to Mercedes, but then a certain Warbler entered the store. Kurt's breath caught in his throat. "Mercedes!" he called.

She looked at Kurt, "yeah?"

Kurt motioned his toward the Warbler, "that's Blaine, the Dalton boy."

Mercedes followed Kurt's motion and saw the teenage boy who Kurt was currently crushing on. "Damn, Kurt, he's cute."

"Who's cute?" Finn asked.

"Kurt's new beau," Merecedes smirked.

"He's _not_ my beau, and I don't know even know if he's gay."

"Don't you have gaydar or something?" Finn curiously asked.

"I do, but," Kurt paused, "it's kind of unreliable these days. The last guy I thought was gay ended up being straight."

"Who was the guy?" Finn asked.

"Sam."

Finn's eyes widen, "Sam? What made you think he was gay?"

"That's classified information," Kurt stated.

"Oh."

"So, are you going to ask him out?" Mercedes asked.

"Probably not."

"Why not?" Mercedes questioned.

"What if he isn't gay? I'm just going to embarrass myself."

"What if he is?" Mercedes countered.

Kurt pursed his lips, "good point."

"Okay, I've been thinking of this for awhile," Finn began, "Kurt, don't take this the wrong way, but you're _really_ gay."

"Yes, and the sky is blue. What's your point, Finn?" Kurt questioned the quarterback.

"He probably knows that your gay since you don't hide it. If you don't want to ask him out, why don't you just give him hints that you're single and interested in him? If he isn't gay, he would tell you to back off," Finn suggested. "That's what Rachel did before she told me she liked me."

Kurt thought about it for a moment. "Hmm. That's not a terrible idea, Finn. Thanks."

Finn smiled, "you're welcome!" After how everything went down during the theatricality assignment in glee, he was happy to help Kurt in the romance department. Everybody deserved a chance at love.

"Looks like you have chance to do that," Mercedes commented. "He's coming this way."

"Okay, okay, okay," Kurt babbled.

"Dude, just be cool," Finn advised.

"Pretend your registers are closed," Kurt told Finn and Mercedes.

"You got it," Mercedes said.

Blaine walked up to the registers. "These registers are closed," Finn informed him.

"But I think that register is still open," Mercedes pointed to Kurt.

"Thank you." Blaine made his way over to Kurt.

"Blaine Anderson," Kurt smiled.

"Kurt Hummel," Blaine chuckled.

"So I see you're buying more Summer Breeze candles."

"Yeah, my mom loved the smell. She asked me to come back here to buy some more."

"So, how was the Warbler's performance at the senior citizen home?" Kurt scanned the candles.

A smile plastered on Blaine's face. "It went really well! We sang a couple of Frank Sinatra's hits."

"That's great! Do you need a bag?" Blaine nodded his head. Kurt grabbed a plastic bag and started to put the candles inside. "I miss performing."

"Oh, the New Directions don't get together over the summer?"

"Unfortunately not," Kurt responded. "Your total is $12.50."

Blaine handed Kurt fifteen dollars. "That's too bad. The Warblers like to meet a couple times during vacation to stay loose."

Kurt entered the amount on the register. "I know. I miss singing, especially to a special someone. You know, if I _was_ in a relationship." He handed Blaine his change and receipt. "Your change is $2.50."

"You know what? Love always comes when you least expect it."

"Really?" Kurt handed Blaine the bag.

"Yes," Blaine flashed Kurt a smile. "See you later, Kurt Hummel."

Kurt grinned, "See you later, Blaine Anderson." He took a deep breath. "So, what did you guys think?"

"Well, you let him know that you are single," Mercedes commented. "But you didn't show him that you're interested in him."

"You're right. I screwed up. I don't have experience flirting with guys."

"Dude, it's okay," Finn tried to cheer him up. "Think of this as phase one."

"Phase one?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah. It's like in the action and spy movies I watch. The main character's plans are broken up into different phases," Finn explained. "And each phase plays an important part in the plan."

Kurt nodded his head. "I get it. So the next phase would be letting him know that I like him?"

"Exactly!" Finn exclaimed. "Phase two: Flirting."

"Wow, Finn!" Mercedes complimented the tall teenager. "I'm impressed."

Finn smirked, "I am the co-captain of the glee club. It's my job to help you guys out."

* * *

Author's Note: In case any of you are curious. Howard does have dyslexia. He mentioned it in the pilot episode. What do you think the assistant manager will be like? Do you think he and Terri will get along? Please let me know in your reviews/comments! I enjoy reading what you all think! It gives me motivation! Till next time! :D


	4. The New Assistant Manager

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who read the previous chapter, and thank you to everyone who reviewed/commented so far! Reading your feedback motivates me to write!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the workplace comedies this story is based on.

**The New Assistant Manager**

The new assistant manager was coming today, and Terri Schuester was not looking forward to meeting him. She didn't need an assistant manager. She was doing well without one. She scheduled everyone's work hours, rotated the assignments and duties in a fair manner, and ensured high levels of customer service. Most importantly, she always met her sales goal. A new assistant manager would just slow her down.

She didn't know much about the new assistant manager. All that she knew was his name and that he previously worked at the Columbus branch. Corporate ensured her that he was qualified for the job, but Terri wasn't so sure. The previous manager at her branch hired Howard, and Howard was a mess 90% of the time. Frankly, she only kept Howard because she could easily manipulate him to do whatever she wanted.

Terri lifted her cup of coffee and took a sip. She placed her coffee cup back on her desk and looked at the time on her computer.

7:55 AM.

She told John Paul Alexander Santos Garcia to come to her office at 8 AM so they could discuss his responsibilities. He had five minutes left to get here. She was about to take another sip of coffee but she heard someone knocking on the door.

"Door's open," she called out. The door opened, and Terri looked up from her computer. She was greeted by an unfamiliar smiling face. "Can I help you?"

"Yes. I'm John Paul. Are you Terri Schuester?"

"Yes, I am," Terri replied. "Have a seat."

"Okay." He sat down and smiled directly at Terri.

Terri didn't return his smile. Instead, she looked at him curiously. He had short, black hair, tanned skin, and big brown eyes. He didn't have any wrinkles in his face, which made him look young. "You seem a little young to be an assistant manager."

John Paul grinned, "I get that a lot. I'm actually thirty years old."

"Oh." Terri grabbed her clipboard from her desk. "John Paul, I don't know too much about you since corporate only gave me your name, so I'm going to ask you a couple of questions."

"Sure, and by the way, you can call me JP if you want. I know I have a long name, so most people just call me JP. It's a Filipino thing," John Paul informed his new boss.

"Thank you for telling me, but I would like to continue to call you John Paul. After all, JP isn't a name. It's letters," Terri reasoned.

John Paul let out a small chuckle in amusement. "Okay."

"So according to Matthew's email, you were already the assistant manager at the Columbus branch. Why did you want to transfer to the Lima branch?"

"Well, I've worked at the Columbus branch ever since I got laid off at my previous job. While I enjoyed working there, I thought it was time for a change," John Paul admitted. "I'm the type of person who doesn't like living at the same city for many years. I like to move around a lot."

_Doesn't like staying too long at a place? Sounds irresponsible._

"As assistant manager, you will help me lead and supervise our staff to make sure they comply with corporate's policies. How would you describe your leadership style?"

John Paul released a deep breath. "At the Columbus branch, Jason, the store manager, let me manage the staff there since he was more concerned with managing budgets and maintaining the financial records. I like to give my staff some freedom and a role in the decision making process. I consider their input, and I let them make decisions on certain things."

Terri's eyes widen at what John Paul just said. Letting the employees make their own decisions? What kind of a manager allowed that? She _would not_ allow this at her store. Could you imagine if she let the glee kids and Howard make their own decisions? It would be a disaster.

"Your leadership style wouldn't work in this store," Terri blatantly told him.

John Paul narrowed his eyes, "why not?"

"My staff is filled with incompetent people," Terri shot back. "I have a bunch of clueless seasonal employees from William McKinley High, and I have one employee that can't count past thirty."

John Paul awkwardly chuckled, "wow! It's that bad, huh?" Terri nodded her head. "Well, I'm a glass half-full kind of person, so I hope for the best!"

Terri scoffed. John Paul's optimism was nauseating,and he smiled too much. Not to worry though, if there was anything that could take away a person's optimism, it was the city of Lima.

* * *

"Does anyone have gum?" Finn asked his co-workers.

"No," his co-workers replied.

Puck searched his pocket for something. "I don't have gum, but I have this chocolate coin," he offered it to his best friend.

Finn's eyes lit up and took the chocolate coin from Puck. Chocolate was way better than gum. "thanks!"

"Anytime, dude."

"Puck, do you another chocolate coin?" Sam wondered. Chocolate coins weren't his favorite type of chocolates, but he was in the mood for something sweet and he didn't want to spend money on the vending machines in the break room.

"Sorry, dude. I gave my last chocolate coin to Finn."

"That's okay."

"Hey, everyone," Quinn greeted her co-workers while holding two boxes of donuts and a white paper bag.

"Good morning, Quinn!" Rachel happily returned the greeting.

"Hey, Quinn. Are those donuts?" Sam wondered. He hoped they were donuts. Donuts were a million times better than chocolate coins.

"Yes, I bought them for everyone," the blonde explained as she placed the two boxes of donuts and the white paper bag on a vacant table.

Kurt arched one of his eyebrows. Head cheerleader Quinn Fabray bought donuts for everyone. He didn't expect this. Quinn was not known for these kind and thoughtful gestures. She was known for her head bitch attitude, but maybe she changed? He looked over to Mercedes and she had the same expression on her face.

"I wasn't the best person in McKinley. I have hurt a lot of you guys in the past," Quinn expressed her regrets. "I just...want to apologize again. I know these donuts will never make up for everything I did, but...it's a start."

Mercedes gave a sympathetic smile to Quinn. When Quinn apologized to her and Kurt a couple of days ago, she didn't think it was a genuine apology. Honestly, she thought Quinn had an ulterior motive. The blonde was a grade-A bitch, so could you blame Mercedes for thinking that? But right now, Quinn looked sincere with her apology. Maybe she deserved a second chance?

"Quinn," Mercedes began and everybody looked at her. "I admit, it has been kind of weird working with you because of how things went down in school." Quinn bit her bottom lip. "But, I can hear how much you regret your past actions. I don't know if we can be friends right off the bat, but I can try."

"I'm with Mercedes," Kurt added. "Your apology sounded sincere and you took responsibility for your actions. I don't know if I can be friends with you, but I can work with you in a civilized manner."

"Thank you." Quinn released a shaky breath, "this is actually more than I deserve." She couldn't help but smile. If the roles were reversed, she didn't know if she could be as forgiving. She was a Fabray, and Fabrays were known to be cold-hearted. She was thankful that her co-workers were much more forgiving and understanding.

"You never treated me horribly, so you and I are good, Quinn. We could even be better if you decide to go out with me," Puck smirked, earning an eye roll from the blonde.

"Puck," Mercedes cringed, "why do you always ruin things?"

"Hey, can't get mad at a guy for trying!"

"Seriously, Puck, you need to learn to shut up!" Mercedes exclaimed.

Rachel couldn't help but beam at Quinn. The blonde had been stressing about this for some time now. She was happy that Quinn was starting to get along with everyone from glee. Well, everyone except Finn. He hasn't said anything ever since Quinn entered the break room.

"You guys can get some donuts now if you want," Quinn said as she opened one of the boxes. "This is the first time I bought donuts at this place, so hopefully they're good."

"DO NUT worry, Quinn, I'm sure they're delicious," Sam laughed as he made that donut pun. Unfortunately, the rest of his co-workers, except Mercedes who actually giggled, didn't think it was funny.

"Does no one here like to laugh?" Sam wondered as he flailed his arms.

"We like to laugh. We laugh at Howard all the time," Puck stated. "That was just kind of lame."

"I thought it was kind of funny," Mercedes admitted.

"Thank you, Mercedes. I guess you're the only one that appreciates my puns," Sam remarked.

Puck shrugged his shoulders, "whatever, I'm getting a donut."

As Puck and the rest of her co-workers (except Finn) got donuts, Quinn grabbed the white paper bag she placed on the table earlier. She then made her way to where Rachel was sitting.

"Hey."

"Hi, so I took your advice and it worked."

"I told you. All it took was free food!"

Quinn handed the white paper bag to Rachel, "this is for you."

"For me?" Rachel asked. Quinn nodded her head. The brunette uncoiled the paper bag and a shy smile appeared when she saw the bag's contents. "Are these vegan donuts?"

Quinn nodded her head. "I didn't want you to feel left out, so I found a donut shop that also sells vegan donuts."

Rachel was taken back.

Quinn remembered she was vegan.

Quinn found a donut shop that sells vegan donuts. Quinn bought her vegan donuts.

She casually mentioned that she was a vegan the other day while they were talking, but she never imagined that Quinn Fabray would go out of her way to buy her vegan donuts. Not even Finn did that for her.

Rachel smiled warmly. "Thank you, Quinn."

"You're welcome." A sly smile appeared on Quinn's face. "You know, I actually tried a vegan donut this morning."

"And?"

"And I prefer _real_ donuts."

Rachel playfully rolled her eyes. "Vegan donuts are real too."

"You know what I mean, Berry," Quinn smirked.

Rachel's lips curved into a grin. From time to time, the blonde "Berried" her when they were joking around, and Rachel didn't mind. It was kind of adorable now.

"Good morning, guys," Howard Bamboo said as he walked inside the break room.

"Hey, Howard," everyone replied in unison.

"Woah, are those donuts?"

"Yeah, Quinn bought them for us," Sam answered.

"Thanks, Quinn."

"You're welcome, Howard."

Howard made his way to the donuts. He was about grab one, but then Terri and John Paul bursted into the break room.

"Okay, everyone please sit down," Terri ordered. Everyone followed her orders, but Howard was still standing in front of the donuts. "It's not the time to get donuts, Howard. Go join your co-workers!"

Howard frowned, "okay."

"Now that you all have settled down, I would like to introduce you to the new assistant manager, John Paul."

John Paul smiled and waved his hand. "Hey everyone, my name is John Paul, but you guys can call me JP for short."

"JP," Puck repeated. "That's kind of cool."

"Yeah," Finn agreed. "Maybe I should be called FC instead."

Puck looked at Finn, "and I could be NP." The two best friends enthusiastically high fived each other.

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard," Mercedes muttered.

Kurt leaned in closer to Mercedes and whispered, "does it beat the time when Puck was trying to convince everyone to invest in his pool cleaning business?"

Mercedes softly giggled, "okay that was really stupid."

"If you need anything or have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me," John Paul continued. "I'm here for you guys."

Howard slowly raised his hand.

John Paul looked towards Howard. "Yes?"

"Quinn brought donuts for everyone and I didn't get some because Terri told me to sit down. Can I get one now?"

 _That must be Howard._ "Sure."

Howard's eyes lit up, "thank you, JP." He got up from his seat and walked over to the donuts. He grabbed one from the box and went back to his seat.

"Okay, since I'm new here and I don't know everyone's names, can everyone say their names aloud? I want to learn your names as soon as possible."

He wanted everyone to introduce themselves? Terri couldn't believe it. This wasn't some summer camp were they go around the campfire and take turns speaking. This was such a waste of time. She had to stop this.

"There's no time for that," Terri interjected. "The store is almost going to open and we have to tell everyone where they are assigned today. Just read their name tags if you want to learn their names."

John Paul tilted his head to the side and stared at Terri. He was amused and in disbelief at the same time. He never met someone who thought learning names was a waste of time. He would have argued with her, but since it was his first day, he decided to let it go.

* * *

"I kind of feel like stormtrooper when I use these scanners," Sam told Mercedes. The two were in charge of reducing the price of all hand towels since the POS system was down.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Sam."

"Stormtroopers are the elite shock troops in Star Wars. They have pretty bad aim though, so I don't know if you could call them 'elite.' "

"Star Wars. Is that the one with the little green guy?"

"Yes! That's Jedi Master Yoda!" Sam cleared his throat before doing his best impression of the Jedi Master, _"do or do not, there is no try."_

Mercedes giggled at Sam's impression. "I don't know if that's how Yoda sounds like since I never seen a Star Wars movie, but that made me laugh."

" _Flattered, I am,"_ Sam thanked Mercedes in his best Yoda voice, earning another laugh from Mercedes. "So I feel like I'm always talking about my interests, what are some of yours?"

"I like listening to music, especially R&B. I sing in my church's choir, and I _love_ watching romantic movies. Kurt and I just had a romantic movie marathon. It was so much fun!"

Sam grinned and bobbed his head, "nice!" He lowered his voice, "you know, I also watch a few romantic movies. A Walk to Remember is my favorite. It's totally better than the Notebook in my opinion."

"Right?!" Mercedes exclaimed. "Give me Landon over Noah any day."

"Totally! Don't get me wrong, the house that Noah built for Allie was beautiful, but Landon remembered Jamie's list and made them come true."

Mercedes smiled, "you know, you're the first guy, well first straight guy, that admitted he likes those type of movies. I think that's pretty cool."

Sam felt a faint blush appear on his cheeks. He was about to reply, but then John Paul appeared. "Hey," he paused to read their name tags, "Mercedes and Sam."

"Hi," Mercedes and Sam responded.

"So, I'm just checking up on everyone. How's the price reductions going?"

"It's going good," Sam replied.

"It's easy work, JP. Nothing we can't handle."

"That's great to hear! Keep up the good work," John Paul encouraged them. "I gotta go, but let me know if you need anything."

"Okay," Sam said as John Paul walked away.

"I'm not going to lie. It feels really nice to be encouraged here," Mercedes commented.

"I couldn't agree with you more."

* * *

Finn saw something weird in the break room this morning. He saw how Quinn and Rachel interacted with each other. Rachel told him that Quinn and her were on good terms, but it was just weird seeing them act like friends. A couple of weeks ago, Quinn tormented Rachel. Now they were suddenly friends? Something wasn't adding up, and he hoped Rachel wouldn't get hurt in the end.

Even though they were no longer a couple, he still cared about her. She was one of his closest friends, so he wanted to make sure that everything was okay with her. They were both assigned to scan and shelf the newly delivered mugs today, so this was the perfect opportunity to ask her about it.

"Hey, so this morning was kind of weird, huh?"

"Why would it be weird?"

Finn shrugged his shoulders. "Quinn bought donuts for everyone. Quinn isn't thoughtful. Don't you think that she has another reason for doing all that?"

Rachel clenched her jaw and glared at him. Quinn was trying to make amends for how she treated everyone. She was being nice! Why couldn't Finn see that?

"Finn, I can't believe you would think that! She was just trying to be nice."

"I dated Quinn for months and she's _not_ nice."

"I admit, the _old_ Quinn would never do that, but she's _not_ the same person anymore. She's different."

"How would _you_ know that?"

"For your information Finn, _Quinn and I_ are friends," Rachel declared.

Okay, she wasn't really sure if they were friends yet, but they acted like friends. They were always talking at work and they started to joke around with each other. Plus, Quinn vented to her and listened to her advice. That's something that _only_ friends would do.

"Are you _really_ friends?" Finn questioned.

"Yes! Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because of how she treated you! Did you forget all the times she made fun of you?" Finn argued.

"I haven't, but Quinn apologized to me. She didn't have to do that but she did," Rachel strongly defended the blonde. "She's _not_ the same person."

"I'm just looking out for you. You don't have to get angry," Finn accused.

"I'm _not_ angry. I'm just annoyed because you can't see the good in Quinn, and you don't have to look out for me, Finn. I can take care of myself," Rachel insisted to her ex-boyfriend. "And if you just talk to Quinn, you'll see how much she changed."

"You know I can't do that. Quinn and I had an ugly break-up. I just can't go up and start talking to her."

"I stole you from her, and Quinn and I are okay," Rachel countered. "Just talk to Quinn. You'll see that she's a different person."

Finn sighed, "fine, I'll think about it."

"Good, let's just finish scanning this mugs before Mrs. Schuester yells at us."

"Okay."

* * *

Kurt was assigned to guest services today. It wasn't his favorite place to work because he had to deal with customers who insisted in the belief that the customers were always right. Sheets-N-Things' policy was clear. A receipt is required to return items. It wasn't Kurt's fault if the customers lost their receipt. Well, there was one good thing about working at guest services, and that was making the announcements over the intercom. It was kind of fun, and Kurt liked hearing himself on the intercom.

"Kurt," Terri said as she approached him.

"Yes, Mrs. Schuester?"

Terri handed him a piece of paper. "I need you to make this announcement right away."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Schuester," Kurt responded as Terri walked away, possibly looking for another employee to scold or boss around.

Kurt grabbed the paging microphone from the counter. "Attention shoppers! Please don't forget to take advantage of our sale on hand towels. They are 25% off, but only today! So get them while you can!"

After he made his announcement, he turned around and threw the piece of paper away.

"Hey, nice announcement," a familiar voice complimented him.

Kurt followed the voice and was surprised to see Blaine Anderson standing before him.

"Blaine Anderson, what a surprise to see you again!" Kurt gushed. He couldn't believe that Blaine was back again. This was his chance to flirt with him.

"Likewise, Kurt Hummel."

"Counting all the times you've been here, I'm beginning to think you have a crush on me," Kurt laughed.

Blaine awkwardly smiled at Kurt, "what?"

_Shit. I messed up again._

Kurt faked a cough to change the topic of the conversation. "Excuse me, I have a bit of a summer cough." He cleared his throat. "So what can I help you with today?"

"I was wondering if this store is still hiring for the summer?"

"Oh. You want to work here?"

"Yeah," a smile plastered on Blaine's face. "I asked my mom if she could raise my allowance, but she said no. I already asked the Lima Bean and they weren't hiring, so I figured I inquire here."

Kurt's whole face lit up. Could you imagine what would happen if he and Blaine worked together for the whole summer? They could fall in love.

"I don't know if we're still hiring, but you could still fill out the application. I'll pass it along to my supervisor." He searched around the counter. "I actually have one here." He handed the application to Blaine.

"Perfect!" Blaine exclaimed. "Do you have a pen I can borrow?"

"Yes! You can borrow my pen," Kurt said as he offered his pen to Blaine.

"Thank you." Blaine took the pen from Kurt's hand, and Kurt tried to hide his excitement when their fingers brushed. "So how is it like working here?"

"It's actually pretty fun since all of my friends work here. My boss is total grouch though, but we got a new assistant manager today. He seems really nice."

"That's good to hear," Blaine said as he continued to fill out his application. "I think I'm all finished here." Blaine returned his application and pen back to Kurt.

"Great! I'm going to give this to my supervisor," Kurt smiled.

"Thank you so much! I have to go now." Blaine crossed his fingers, "but hopefully, I get called back for an interview and I'll see you then."

"See you!"

Blaine left the store and Kurt dreamily stared at the application.

_I think the gay gods answered my prayers! The only problem is Mrs. Schuester, but JP might be able to convince her to hire Blaine._

Kurt looked up and saw the person he needed to talk to. "JP!"

John Paul turned his head towards Kurt's direction. "Be right there!" He made his way over to guest services. He read Kurt's name tag before speaking. "Kurt, do you need help with anything?"

"Yes, I do. Do you know if we're still hiring?"

"I don't know. I can ask Terri. Why?"

"A student from Dalton Academy wanted to work here. I had him fill out an application just in case we were hiring." He gave the application to John Paul.

The assistant manager read over the application. "His application looks good. I'll talk it over with Terri and see what happens."

"Thank you, JP!"

* * *

"Thank you for shopping at Sheets-N-Things. We hope to see you again!" Quinn happily told a customer as she handed him his receipt.

"You know, I think it's fate that we were assigned to be cashiers today," Puck flirted with the blonde.

Quinn cringed at his attempts to flirt with her. _Here we go again._

"It's just Mrs. Schuester rotating the assignments," she countered.

"Call it what you want, but we're still together," Puck smirked.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Puck, you are wasting your time. I'm _not_ interested."

"Is it because employees aren't allowed to date? Sam mentioned it to me the other day."

She shook her head. "No, it's not that. And if you read the worker's manual, you would know that employees can date each other as long there is no conflict of interests."

"Huh?"

"Dating is allowed as long as you're not dating your boss," Quinn explained it in simpler terms.

"That is useful information. Thank you, Quinn." If Quinn didn't want to go out with him, then he could hit on his other co-workers. Plenty of fish in the sea.

"No problem."

"Can I ask you one last thing and I promise I won't bother you anymore about this?"

"Sure."

"Can you tell me why you won't go out with me?"

Time to be truthful. "One, you're misogynist. Two, I'm not interested in dating boys right now. I just want to focus on myself."

"Misogynist? I have no idea what that means."

"Look it up in the dictionary then."

"Ouch!" Puck clutched his chest and pretended to be in pain. "Okay, a promise is a promise. I won't bother you anymore about this, but the offer is still on the table."

* * *

Author's Note: So, how do you like John Paul? It seems like Terri and him will disagree on a couple of things during the summer. Also, Quinn isn't interested in dating boys right now. I wonder what could she mean... I would love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a review/comment! See you all next time!


	5. The Suggestion Box

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter, and I apologize that this update took awhile. Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the workplace comedies this story is based on.

**The Suggestion Box**

It has been one week since John Paul moved to Lima, and so far, he has been adjusting well. Lima was such a smaller town compared to Columbus. There wasn't a lot of things to do, and there weren't that many restaurants to choose from. He had to admit though. Breadstix was pretty amazing. You couldn't beat their offer of unlimited breadsticks. John Paul even took some bread sticks home by sneaking them inside his backpack. After all, his mother taught him well. He remembered all the times his mother forced him to put ketchup packets and napkins inside his pocket when he was a kid.

His work life was complete different.

One of the biggest differences he observed from working at the branch in the Columbus and to working at the branch in Lima was the employees' morale. John Paul knew how depressing retail work was. Employees were on their feet the whole day, and they had to deal with terrible customers who believed that "the customers were always right." Most of all, the pay wasn't even that high. In order to improve employee morale at the Columbus branch, John Paul and his former manager would hold competitions, bought food and snacks from time to time, asked for employee input in certain aspects, and most importantly, gave them validation.

It was the complete opposite in the Lima branch. Terri treated all of her employees so terrible. She constantly ordered them around without even telling them a job well done. She basically ran the store as a dictator, and frankly, it was time for a change. If John Paul wanted to change things around here, he had to stand up to Terri. It was challenging to do that because she hated his guts. She was always turning down his ideas and criticizing him for every little thing. She even told him that he smiled too much. If he wanted to see things change, he needed to suggest something small and realistic. Something that wouldn't annoy her too much. He had the perfect idea.

* * *

"You want to do what?"

"I want to start an employee suggestion box program," John Paul repeated to Terri.

When he was a freshman in college, John Paul worked as an after school program leader. His supervisor for the program implemented a suggestion board where the staff could write their concerns and suggestions to improve the after school program. It was all anonymous, so John Paul and his co-workers had the freedom to bring up points they didn't feel comfortable speaking about during the meetings. Frankly, that was needed here. Terri always shot down the employees when they spoke their minds.

"I think that a suggestion box can improve employee morale around here," John Paul explained. "We could find out ways where we can support the staff and ways to improve the store."

Terri narrowed her eyes and glared at her assistant manager for suggesting such a ridiculous idea. Improve employee morale? She wasn't aware that improving morale was her responsibility as store manager. She didn't read that in her job description.

"Why would I want to improve morale around here?" Terri questioned her assistant manager.

John Paul scoffed. She couldn't be serious, right? He stared at Terri and saw that she was scowling back at him. Okay, she was being serious.

"Improving employee morale has its benefits!" John Paul defended. "Studies show when employees feel happy about their jobs, it increases work production. In this case, the store's sales numbers will probably see a significant rise."

An increase in sales? That did sound intriguing to Terri. She was already meeting her numbers every month. She could be looking at another raise if her sales numbers keep going up, but at what cost? She absolutely did not want to make her employees, especially the glee kids, feel happy about themselves. She still kind of blamed them for her divorce. What was she going to do? Make them sing songs about love, joy, and happiness? Hell no. In fact, if any of the glee kids made any attempt to sing, she would fire them.

"This isn't a big change," John Paul tried to convince his boss. "We don't have to actually implement their suggestions right away. I just want to give them the opportunity to have a voice."

Terri leaned back in her seat and thought about John Paul's suggestion. She had to admit. He did make an interesting point. Those kids and Howard didn't have to know that their ideas weren't actually going to be taken seriously. Besides, if a good idea did come out of this, she could take credit for it. Plus, this stupid suggestion box could keep John Paul occupied for awhile so he wouldn't be able to pester her about another dumb idea.

"Okay, I'll let you do this little project of yours."

"Really?" He couldn't believe that she agreed. He didn't think it would be this easy. In fact it was almost too easy. She must be up to something. He narrowed his eyes, looking at Terri like she was hiding something. "What's the catch?"

Terri huffed. "What are you talking about?"

"It was too easy to convince you. You must be hiding something," John Paul accused.

Terri rolled her eyes. She has never met someone as irritating as John Paul. "Please! I have better things to do. Do you want your stupid box or not?"

He released a sigh, "yes, I want it."

"Okay, but I have a few conditions."

"Of course you do," he mumbled.

"One. You are solely responsible for this suggestion box. I don't want _any_ of the employees asking me questions about this."

"Okay."

"Two. For some miracle that they actually come up with an excellent idea, I will make the final decision if we implement it or not. Got it?"

"Got it."

* * *

"Are you reading The Dark Knight Returns?" Finn asked Sam.

"Yup," Sam answered him. "It's one of Frank Miller's masterpieces."

"Nerd," Puck snickered.

Sam leered at Puck. This reminded the blond of all the times his classmates at his old boarding school teased him for liking comics. "There's nothing wrong with liking comics and superheroes. Besides, Batman is awesome! Haven't you seen Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight?"

"That's a dope movie," Finn commented.

"What's a dope movie?" Mercedes asked as she and Kurt entered the break room, holding a cup of iced lattes from the Lima Bean.

"The Dark Knight," the quarterback replied.

Kurt arched his eyebrow. "The Dark Knight? Is that a movie about medieval times?"

Finn shook his head in amusement. Kurt's lack of knowledge of comics and action movies always made him laugh.

"No, it's not a movie about medieval times," Sam explained. "It's the second installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy."

"I still have no idea what you're talking about," Kurt admitted as he and Mercedes sat down at an empty table.

"You seriously haven't seen any Batman movies?" Sam questioned.

"No," Kurt replied. "Those movies aren't my cup of tea."

"I've seen the Dark Knight with my dad when it was in theaters," Mercedes said. "I liked it."

"You like Batman?" Sam asked.

Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, he's cool."

Sam's eyes widen. Mercedes likes Batman? Okay, he liked her a little bit more after that.

"Who's cool?" Rachel wondered as she walked inside the break room.

"Batman," Finn informed his ex-girlfriend.

"Oh," Rachel responded as she sat down next to Puck. "I'm not a fan of superheroes, but I understand their appeal to people."

"What's appealing to people?" Howard asked as he came in the break room.

"Superheroes," Sam answered.

"Oh, I love superheroes!" Howard exclaimed. "My favorite superhero is Superman!"

"That's great Howard, but nobody asked you," Puck pointed out.

Howard frowned. "Sorry." He sat down at an empty table. His co-workers were talking about superheroes. He just wanted to tell everyone how much he loved the Man of Steel.

Rachel smacked Puck's shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?" She didn't respond to his question. Instead, she gave him a disapproving look. "It's true. No one asked him!"

"Hey, everyone!" a familiar blonde greeted, changing the topic of conversation.

They all turned their heads and saw Quinn Fabray walking into the break room.

"Hello, Quinn!" Rachel beamed at the blonde.

Quinn smiled, "hi, Rachel."

"Hey, Quinn," Kurt and Mercedes greeted their co-worker.

"Hey, guys," Quinn returned their greeting.

She sat down next to Rachel and set her keys on the table. Sam looked over and noticed that she had a mini flashlight key-chain.

"That's a cool key-chain, Quinn," Sam complimented her.

"Thanks," Quinn thanked Sam. She turned towards Rachel and playfully smiled at the brunette. "I figured I needed it here because the lights are too dim. I don't want to misread the labels on the lotion bottles."

Rachel giggled, remembering the customer who complained to Quinn about the lights. "You wouldn't want to buy the wrong bottle and get a rash."

Quinn released a hearty chuckle, recalling how ridiculous the customer sounded. As the two girls continued to laugh, everyone in the break room was looking at them curiously. They couldn't believe that the head cheerleader was sharing a laugh with Rachel Berry, one of the "losers" of William McKinley High.

"Um, what are you two laughing about?" Mercedes asked.

"Oh, a customer complained to me about the lights," Quinn explained, catching her breath. "You had to be there."

Rachel nodded her head in agreement, but everyone was still oddly looking at them. Was it that weird for her to be joking around with Quinn? Before she could ask everyone, Terri and John Paul entered into the break room, calling for everyone's attention. They focused their attention to their supervisors.

"Before I begin today's _important_ announcements," Terri snickered, resulting in John Paul scrunching his nose. "John Paul has something to tell you all."

"Thank you, Terri, for that _wonderful_ introduction," John Paul sarcastically responded, earning an eye roll from Terri. "Anyways, I hope everyone is having a good day so far. I have some exciting news to share with you all."

"Are we getting a raise?" Rachel interjected.

"No."

"Are we getting time off?" Finn asked.

"No."

"Is corporate buying us lunch?" Howard inquired. A couple of months ago, corporate bought lunch for the entire staff. It was one of the best days of Howard's life.

"No. We are beginning a," John Paul paused for a dramatic effect, "suggestion box program!"

Silence.

Okay, he wasn't expecting that. He thought his staff would be more excited about this. The only one who looked excited was Rachel. Her eyes quickly lit up when she heard the words "suggestion box." He quickly glanced at Terri, and noticed she had a smirk plastered on her face. She must be enjoying this.

He cleared his throat. "Terri has given me permission to start this suggestion box initiative."

Kurt arched his brow, "really?" He knew how much Terri disliked John Paul. During his first week here, Kurt noticed how Terri always had a sour look on her face when John Paul announced something. It was kind of odd that she actually approved one of his ideas.

"Yes!" the assistant store manager exclaimed. "And I am thrilled to start this!"

"How is a suggestion box exciting news?" Puck questioned.

"I'm glad that you asked that question, Puck," John Paul responded. "A suggestion box will give you all the opportunity to suggest ideas on how to improve the store."

Rachel's lips curved into a grin. Ever since she started working at Sheets-N-Things, she has mentally keep note of all things that could be improved in this store. She tried telling Mrs. Schuester about her ideas, but like always, the store manager wouldn't even hear her out. This was the moment she was waiting for.

"JP, that sounds great and all, but where are we going to leave our suggestions?" Finn brought up. "I don't see a box anywhere."

"I will make a small box out of cardboard," John Paul answered Finn. "I'll leave the box in the break room, so you guys can leave your suggestions. Any more questions?"

Puck pursed his lips. "So we just write whatever suggestions we want?" He didn't have any ideas to improve the store, but he did have a suggestion to make his time at the store more enjoyable.

"No, I want you guys to focus on ideas that improve the functions of the day to day functions of the store," John Paul further explained. "For example, we can have a small rack of candles by the checkout line so it can entice customers to buy more things."

Puck bursted out laughing when John Paul said rack and his co-workers eyed him curiously.

"Puck, why are you laughing?" Mercedes asked her ex-boyfriend.

"JP said rack," he snickered.

Sam and Finn tried to stifle their smirks. They knew what Puck meant by rack. The rest of their co-workers, on the other hand, grimaced in disgust.

"Puck, you are so gross!" Mercedes scolded.

"Hey! JP said it. Not me," Puck defended himself. "I just laughed."

"Okay!" John Paul called the attention of his staff. "Let's just move on." Compared to the employees at the Columbus branch, the employees here got distracted a lot. "I'm going to leave small pieces of paper near the box. You don't have to sign your name on the paper. It can be anonymous. Got it?"

"We got it, JP," Finn stated.

"Great! You guys have the whole day to leave suggestions. I will review them at the end of the day, and we will go over them tomorrow."

* * *

Sam was getting the hang of things at Sheets-N-Things. He remembered how nervous he was during his first day on the job. Thankfully, Mercedes was there. She trained him and helped him when it got too crazy at the register.

Mercedes.

Every time he thought about her, Sam couldn't help but smile. She was the first girl (other than his mom and his little sister) he felt comfortable talking to. She never made fun of his impressions, and she was the only one who actually laughed at his jokes. Plus, she liked Batman! He really wanted to ask her out, but he remembered something about co-workers not allowed to date.

"So, are you actually going to suggest something?" Puck asked Sam. They were currently in charge of stacking the newly delivered vacuums.

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Probably not. What about you?"

"I don't have any ideas to improve the store, but I do have a suggestion that will make _my life_ better."

"Which is?"

"I'm going to suggest that we hire hotter girls."

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't think JP would accept that idea. He said to come up with ideas that will help the store."

"I know that," Puck countered. "I'm just going to bullshit it. Something like getting hotter girls will help sell more candles. Some shit like that."

"Why do you want to them to hire hotter girls? I thought you liked Quinn."

"Quinn's hot, but she doesn't like me." Puck shrugged his shoulders. "The Puckasarus doesn't wait for anyone. I need fresh faces to hit on."

"But we can't date our co-workers," Sam reminded him.

Puck shook his head. "We can. After Quinn rejected me again, she informed me that co-workers can date as long as they're not dating their boss."

If that was the case, then Sam could ask Mercedes out. But, he didn't know how to ask a girl out. He was clueless when it came to girls.

"You could make your move on Mercedes," Puck smirked, but his smirk quickly turned into a frown when Sam remained silent. Didn't Sam say he liked Mercedes? "Dude, why are you quiet? Aren't you into Mercedes?"

"I am, but...I never asked out a girl before," Sam sheepishly admitted. "I don't know what to do."

"Dude, are you forgetting who you're talking to? You're talking to the Puckasarus," Puck bragged. I have so much experience when it comes to girls. Plus, I dated Mercedes. I'll help you woo her."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that's what bros are for," Puck replied. "Listen up, Mercedes is like any other chick. She wants attention, but you don't want to be too desperate. Just play it cool and flirt with her."

"Flirting?" Sam scratched the back of his head. He didn't know if he could do that.

"Yeah, flirting," Puck said. "That means you gotta stop with all the lame impressions and jokes. They're not helping you."

"But I think she likes my impressions and jokes. She laughed at my donut pun," Sam argued.

"Dude, trust me on this! I know what I'm talking about it. This works on like 90% of the girls I hit on," Puck reasoned.

Sam tilted his head to the side to think over Puck's advise. He had a point. Puck has been with a lot of girls, and he did date Mercedes. Maybe he actually knew what he was talking about?

"Okay, I'll do it."

"Dude," Puck made a fist with his right hand and Sam fist bumped his bro.

* * *

"So are you going to leave a suggestion?" Mercedes asked Kurt while they were scanning and stocking the shampoo and conditioner bottles.

"Maybe," Kurt answered. "These uniforms are atrocious. Who in their right mind would pair dark green collared shirts and brown aprons?" He opened another box of shampoo bottles. "What about you?"

"I want to bring up the whole music thing. I want to listen to songs that actually have words," Mercedes replied.

"True. I'm getting sick of listening to the same underwater whale sounds that Mrs. Schuester plays."

"Exactly!"

"Honestly, I still can't believe that she actually let JP do this."

"Right? Since when is Mrs. Schuester open to the new ideas?"

"Knowing her, she probably has something up her sleeve."

"Yup. JP should watch his back. Mrs. Schuester can be really crazy."

"Agreed."

"Anyways, how's your Warbler boy toy?" Mercedes teased.

"Blaine is not my boy toy," Kurt rolled his eyes. "Besides, I haven't seen him since he turned in his application. I even recommended him to JP, but JP hasn't said anything."

Mercedes frowned. She knew how much Kurt liked Blaine. "I'm sorry, Kurt."

"It's okay. I guess it wasn't meant to be," Kurt mumbled. "Enough about my nonexistent love life. How's your love life?"

"Like yours it's nonexistent."

"I don't know about that. I've seen the way you and Sam talk," he implied. "He's always trying to make you laugh."

"Sam _does not_ like me," Mercedes contended. "He's always telling me jokes because he doesn't know how to talk to girls.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're the only girl he talks to here," Kurt grinned. "And Sam is cute."

"Okay, I admit, Sam is cute. I don't know if he's my type."

"Because Puck is your type."

Mercedes glared at her friend. "That's a low blow, Kurt."

Kurt put his arm around Mercedes's shoulder. "I'm just teasing you. As your best friend, it's my job to remind you of your horrible relationships so you won't make the same mistakes." Mercedes softly laughed. "I want one of us to actually have a love life."

"That will happen at the right time," Mercedes reassured him. "Right now, we should go back to work before Mrs. Schuester yells at us."

* * *

"Thank you for shopping at Sheets-N-Things. We hope to see you again!" Quinn told the customer while she handed his receipt back to him. In return, the customer nodded his head in acknowledgement and then left the store.

"Quinn," Rachel called the attention of the blonde.

Quinn turned her head towards Rachel. "Yes?"

"Have you thought about what you're going to propose to change about the store?"

"No, I haven't thought about it," she replied. "Based on your question, I'm assuming you already have thought about your suggestions."

"You are correct!" Rachel exclaimed. "I have already thought of ways to improve the store on my first day on the job."

"Why am I not surprised? You _would_ do that."

Rachel placed her right hand on her heart, trying her best to look hurt. "Are you insulting me?"

"Quite the opposite actually. It's a compliment," She grinned. "You're the only person I know would take the time out of their day to meticulously take notes on how to improve the day to day functions of the store," Quinn teased.

"That sounds like a backhanded compliment," Rachel laughed. A couple of seconds later, Quinn join in laughter. It has been like this since the blonde began working at Sheets-N-Things. She and Quinn always talked when they had the same shift, and they engaged in this friendly banter from time to time.

Before Quinn started working here, Rachel didn't really have anyone to spend time with. Sure, she got closer to her fellow glee club members when they complained about Mrs. Schuester and entitled customers, but she wouldn't call them her close friends. She talked to Finn most of the time, but they ran out of things to talk about very quickly. She didn't want to keep hearing about his latest campaign in Call of Duty, whatever that meant. Puck was just too disgusting to be around with. He would always make inappropriate comments about women. She wasn't really friends with Kurt and Mercedes. Rachel figured that they were still annoyed on how she got the most solos in glee club. Now that Quinn was working at Sheets-N-Things, Rachel had someone to talk to. She was surprised how easy it was to talk to the blonde. It was like they were friends for a long time.

"So, are you working during the weekend?" Rachel wondered. It was Thursday today, so the weekend was coming up. She was scheduled to work on the weekend, so she hoped that Quinn was too. It was awful working the weekend shift, but if Quinn was working too, then it wouldn't be so bad.

"Unfortunately," Quinn pouted. "I have the morning and afternoon shift on Saturday, and then the afternoon shift on Sunday."

"Me too!" Rachel said excitedly.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "You sound really excited about working during the weekend."

Rachel smiled at the blonde. "I am just happy that I have someone to suffer the weekend shift with."

"That's true," Quinn softly giggled. "I'm glad that I don't have to work the morning shift on Sunday. I have time to go to the morning mass."

"Do you and your family always attend mass every Sunday?"

"Yes, but not this week. My parents are out of town this weekend." Quinn scrunched up her face. "They're visiting my older sister Frannie."

Rachel noticed how Quinn changed her expression when she mentioned her sister. Did she not like her older sister?

"Oh, I didn't know you had an older sister."

"Sadly," Quinn muttered under her breath.

"Do you not like her?" Rachel was an only child, she didn't understand the rivalries that siblings have with one another.

"It's not that I don't like her. She's just the favorite." She sighed. "My parents would always say 'Quinn, why can't you play the piano as well as Frannie? Or "Quinn, Frannie made the president's list again."

"You play the piano?"

Quinn stared at Rachel with amusement. She just told Rachel about how her parents favored Frannie, and "that's what you took away from that?"

"You can't blame me, Quinn," Rachel defended herself. "As a musically inclined person, I am delighted to hear that you play the piano."

"Don't get too excited. According to my parents, I'm not a very good pianist."

"Quinn, you're not a bad pianist," Rachel began, a playful smirk appearing on her face. "You're just not as good as Frannie."

"Wow," the blonde chuckled. "I see how it is, Berry."

* * *

Today, Finn was assigned to guest services and he hated it for two reasons.

One. The customers would yell at him when they couldn't return their items. Today, a middle aged woman angrily admonished him when he informed her that she couldn't return her bed sheets because it was past thirty days. In order not to lose his mind, Finn would tune out the customers and nod his head. It worked at school, so why wouldn't it work here?

Two. He hated working the guest services counter because he was alone. He didn't have anyone to talk to. He liked talking to his friends and co-workers because it helped pass the time. Heck, he even liked talking to Howard from time to time.

Finn glanced around the store to see what his co-workers were up to. Like usual, Howard was mopping the floor. Finn always wondered why Howard was constantly in charge of cleaning spills, but he never brought it up to Mrs. Schuester. To be honest, Finn was scared of her. Besides, Howard did a good job cleaning.

His continued to look around the store, and his eyes caught Quinn and Rachel at the registers. They appeared to be joking around with each other. It was still kind of odd seeing his two ex-girlfriends act like this. They even had inside jokes and everything. Just a couple of months ago, Quinn was tormenting Rachel. Now, they were friends. It was weird!

He spoke to Rachel about it. She was adamant that Quinn changed. She kept stressing to him that Quinn was a different person now. Rachel did have a point. Quinn hasn't done anything that would hurt Rachel and the others. In fact, she did the opposite. She apologized to them and she even bought donuts as a peace offering. He hated to admit it, but Rachel was right. Quinn deserved a second chance.

* * *

"Howard! There's a spill in aisle one. I need you to clean it up," Terri ordered him.

"Yes, Terri," he sighed.

Why did Terri always make him clean? It wasn't fair. It wasn't a hard job, but it was disgusting, especially when Howard to clean up vomits. Surely, his other co-workers could do it. Finn was over six feet tall. Finn could reach the shelves without any problem. Howard had to use a step ladder.

He could bring this up in the suggestion box, but he wanted to suggest a free lunch/food every week. There wasn't a limit for how many suggestions you can turn in, right? He didn't recall JP mentioning anything during the morning's announcements, but then again, he wasn't really listening when the exciting news wasn't a free lunch. Since JP was in charge of this, Howard was pretty sure it was okay to suggest more things. JP was much more friendlier and understanding than Terri.

* * *

"Sorry to keep you waiting," John Paul told Blaine as he sat across from him. "I was finishing up something."

"It's fine. I understand," Blaine assured him.

"Usually these interviews are done in a more private setting, but Terri doesn't want me to use her office," John Paul complained. "So we have to do the interview in the break room."

"Oh, I'm sorry?" Blaine didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't know John Paul or Terri, but from John Paul's tone, he figured that the two didn't get along.

"Don't worry, it's fine." John Paul opened the manila folder he brought in with him. "So, I read over your application and everything looks good. I'm just going to ask you a couple of questions, okay?"

"Okay."

"Can you tell me a little bit of yourself?"

"Well, my full name is Blaine Devon Anderson. I'm going to be a sophomore at Dalton Academy."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but do you have a work permit?" John Paul interjected. The legal working age in Ohio was 14, but a work permit was required.

"Yes, I do."

"Great! I was just making sure. Please continue."

"I am also a member of the glee club at Dalton. The Dalton Academy Warblers."

"Glee club, huh? Most of the teenagers who work here are also in their school's glee club. I didn't know it was a popular club now."

"I can't speak for McKinley High, but being a Warbler is a huge honor in Dalton Academy."

"You know, I wish I had the talent to be in glee. I'm one of the few Filipinos who can't sing or dance."

"Oh, I'm also part Filipino."

John Paul smiled. "Awesome!" It was always great to meet a fellow Filipino. "So Blaine, have you worked in retail before?"

"I haven't, but I think I have the skills and personality to do well on the job. I'm a very sociable person, so I can communicate well with the customers and I work well with other people. I shop at Sheets-N-Things frequently so I am knowledgeable about their products."

John Paul was impressed. For a fifteen year old kid, Blaine was an eloquent speaker. It was obvious that he prepared for this interview. "Are you a patient person? You're going to be interacting with a lot of difficult customers. I need someone who doesn't lose their temper."

"I would say so. I have learned to be patient as a member of the Warblers. There are some members of the Warblers who have trouble learning the choreography. It gets a little frustrating when we have to keep explaining the choreograph, but we just have to be patient with them."

"There are a lot of retail stores in Lima. Why do you want to work here?"

"I want to work here because I love the products that you sell. I've been shopping here for a long time now, so it's the perfect opportunity for me to learn how the store does its merchandising."

"That sounds great." John Paul leaned into his chair. "But why should I hire you?"

"I think you should hire me because I am a hard-worker. I am always on time, which is rare for Filipinos," Blaine joked, earning a chuckle from John Paul. Yup, that was another stereotype for Filipinos. They were always late, unless they had a flight. In that case, Filipinos show up to the airport four hours before their flight. "I am eager to learn about the operations of Sheets-N-Things."

John Paul nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Can you work weekends? Mornings? Afternoons? Evenings?"

"Yes, I can work those hours."

"Honestly, Blaine, everything looks good. Kurt also put in a good word for you, so I have no reason why I shouldn't hire you."

Blaine was taken back. He didn't know Kurt that well, but he still recommended him for the job. No one else would have done that. He needed to thank him.

"The next step is filling out paperwork. Once it processes, I will contact you for your training. Sound good?"

"Yes and thank you for giving me this opportunity. I really appreciate it, John Paul."

"You're welcome and please, call me JP."

* * *

Kurt pushed the cart through aisle three. Mrs. Schuester had him and Mercedes re-shelf all returned items after they were done scanning the shampoo and conditioner bottles. He didn't mind re-shelving returned items because he got to walk around the store for a bit. This beat being assigned to the register all day.

"Excuse me," a customer called for Kurt's attention.

Kurt turned head towards the customer. "Yes, how can I-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw who said his name. "Blaine Anderson!"

Blaine chuckled, "Kurt Hummel."

"What are you doing here? Did you have your interview?"

"Yes, I had my interview with JP today."

"And?"

Blaine beamed. "And I got hired!"

"That's awesome!" This was the best news ever! He had all summer to spend time with Blaine now. The gay gods really answered his prayers.

"Yes, and I have you to thank you."

A faint blush appeared on Kurt's cheeks. "Me?"

"JP informed me that you put in a good word for me, so thank you. I owe you one."

_He owes me one? What should I say? I could say how about a date. No, that's too forward. I might scare him off. I'll play it cool._

"It's not a problem. If you really wanted to pay me back, I like a grande nonfat mocha," he laughed.

"A grande nonfat mocha? Okay, I got you."

Kurt's mouth slightly gaped at what Blaine said. _He's got me? What does that mean?_

"I have to go now. I have a music session with some of the Warblers. Thank you again, Kurt!"

_Does 'I got you' mean that I have a date? I have to find Mercedes!_

* * *

It was the end of the shift, so John Paul finally had time to review the suggestions his staff left for him. He hoped a lot of his employees left suggestions. He strongly believed that everyone had the potential to come up with a good idea. They just need a little push.

He was sitting by himself in the break room with the suggestion box he made a couple of hours ago. He shook the box and he heard a small rustle.

"The box isn't going to open by itself," a familiar shrill voice commented, resulting in John Paul furrowing his brows. "Or are you not opening because it's empty?"

"Terri, _nice_ of you to join me," John Paul sarcastically said. "Did you come in here because you felt _cramped_ in your spacious office?"

Terri released a fake laugh, "very funny."

She sat down across from John Paul, and in return, he raised a brow. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm sitting down!" she quipped.

He rolled his eyes. "Obviously. I meant why are you sitting down with me?"

"Well, I think that this idea is stupid, but I am the manager. I have to keep tabs on _everyone_ who works in my store."

"Fine," he muttered. John Paul opened the box and dumped its contents on the table.

"I actually thought you would get fewer responses," Terri observed.

John Paul shook his head. Of course, Terri would comment on everything. He reached for a couple pieces of paper and started reading.

Okay, most of these were written by the same person. It was the same handwriting, and of course it was Rachel. Interesting, she also left a gold star next to her name. John Paul appreciated her ideas, but they were too complicated and ambitious.

"Did they come up with anything good? I'd be shocked if they did."

"Although I _love_ listening to your commentary," John Paul deadpanned. "You could help me read these."

"Just answer my question, John Paul," Terri demanded.

"Well most of the suggestions were made by-"

"Rachel," Terri finished his sentence for him.

"How do you know?" John Paul asked.

"She seemed the most excited about this when you announced it," Terri responded. "Any others?"

"Well, someone wrote that other people should clean the store and not just him. He also suggested that we should buy the employees lunch," he replied. "I know for sure that's Howard. Most of the words are misspelled."

Terri agreed, "that sounds like Howard."

"I'm just curious. Why do you always assign him to cleaning duty?"

"Howard doesn't excel in a lot of things," Terri said. "Cleaning is one of the things he is actually good at. You've seen him work!"

John Paul tilted his head and contemplated at what Terri just told him. Howard did screw up a lot. He actually stacked the shower gels and body wash at the wrong aisle the other day. "You're right." He picked up another piece of paper and read it. This person wanted to play other music in the store. He grabbed for another piece of paper, and another person suggested the same idea. "I think I found a good idea."

"What is it?"

"Two people suggested that we play music that the employees like."

Terri scoffed, "what's wrong with the music I play?"

"Terri, are you seriously asking me this?"

"Yes!"

"For starters, you play the same 'relaxing' background music in a loop," John Paul quoted. "It's not really relaxing if everyone is sick of listening to it." Terri rolled her eyes. "I think really think that this is a good idea. Playing music that the staff enjoy will definitely raise morale around here."

"I don't want to hear another thing about employee morale."

He wasn't going anywhere if he kept trying to convince Terri that it was important to have good employee morale. Terri was a pretty selfish person. He had to spin it in a way that benefited her.

"If you do this, your employees won't complain about the music anymore."

"That doesn't really make a difference. I usually just tune them out."

Shit.

Terri was so difficult to work with. He wanted to do this for his staff. He knew how awful it was to work in retail. If listening to actual music can make the work environment better for his employees, then John Paul would not stop until Terri said yes.

"Okay, how about we make a deal?"

Terri was intrigued. "A deal?"

"If you play music that our staff likes, I won't bother you with an idea for four days."

Terri's eyes widen. Four days without listening to John Paul's suggestions. That was heaven! She couldn't agree to this deal right away. She wanted to see how far he was willing to go. Maybe she could get a couple of extra days from him.

"Two weeks."

"Five days."

"One week."

One week! He could do that. "Deal."

"You will not bother me with a single idea for one week."

"Yes, and you're going to let me play music that the staff likes."

"Appropriate music," Terri stressed. "Songs that don't mention sex, drugs, or alcohol."

"Deal."

He held out his hand to her, and Terri took his hand. They shook on it.

"Deal."

Why did it feel like he made a deal with the devil?

* * *

Author's Note: How did you all like the chapter? I know the show never stated if Blaine was Filipino, but since Darren Criss is half-Filipino, I decided to make Blaine part Filipino too. I'm also Filipino, so I chose to include some funny Filipino stereotypes like always being late to things and taking home the ketchup packets and napkins. Like John Paul's mom, my mom made me do that too! Haha

How do you like the dynamic between John Paul and Terri? Do you think that these two will ever get along?

Quinn and Rachel are becoming closer friends. How long do you think it'll take before one of them develops a crush on the other?

Do you think Puck's advice will help Sam woo Mercedes?

Will Blaine ever get a clue that Kurt has a crush on him?

Please let me know in your reviews/comments! I always enjoy reading what you guys think. It really motivates me to write. Till next time! :D


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